Middle of the night pumping pals

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Ugh, I got the worst milk blister yesterday! It was so incredibly painful. I finally got rid of it this morning after a shower and then nursing. It looks like it's still there, but it isn't hurting me now, so it must just be the skin left over and the milk is actually getting out. I wasn't able to pump at night the past two nights as DD seems to have a cold and was having trouble sleeping due to a stuffy nose. She slept on me the past couple of nights, but I'm hoping tonight we can get back to the bassinet. Unfortunately I seem to have gotten a cold from her, so we'll see how it goes... If this is how she's felt the past couple of nights, it's no wonder she's woken up crying in the middle of the night. Poor thing!
 
I'm debating just going a straight 20 minutes at night instead of the usual 24 or so. For some reason I really feel like those extra 5 minutes of sleep will make a difference. Lol.
 
When you're tired, 5 minutes seems like an eternity! I'd probably want to do the same. :haha: Although starting out I'm not going for a specific time frame, just pumping both sides until the flow stops and then going to bed. The time that takes varies.

I really hope both of us are not sick for much longer. Last night was rough... I did get to pump before going to bed, but DD woke and nursed back to sleep frequently enough last night I don't think I really missed out on much! I pumped 2 oz more than I normally do yesterday, though! So I have a bit extra that I didn't need to send to the sitter's that I can add to today. :happydance:
 
Yay for more milk!!! That always feel good! Great job!
 
Thanks, I'm so excited! My pumping sessions have been getting shorter with the same amount of output, so I'm hoping that continues! I'm finally getting 2 letdowns in a 20-minute pumping session per side.

I'd guess I was probably getting 2-3 letdowns in a 1-hour session with my electric pump, and that was only the first pump of the morning. I'd get about 3 oz usually during that session, then only maybe 1.5-2 oz, then about 1 oz, and during the last pumping session I'd be trying to squeeze out .5-1 oz. All of those pumping sessions lasted at least an hour, usually more. Now I get 1.5-2.5 oz every session and only spend 30-45 minutes pumping. Progress!
 
I'm totally joining this thread ! I'm currently pumping nightly around 130 also , eastern time. My dd started sleeping through the night at 5 weeks - typically sleeps 10 hours now but has gone 12 before ! So sometimes I pump twice (I really should). I don't set an alarm, just let the engorgement wake me ! There's only been 2 nights of pure exhaustion that I didn't wake up.

I find too that I'm one of the women who's supply just fluctuates easily. I first had a huge drop after doing block feeding for my initial oversupply. Built it back up and had it drop again last week due to dd not feeding well. Either teething or not feeling well I dunno what but she was being such a lazy feeder and only comfort sucking ! Pumped when I could and she started eating better again and supply is back up. But I don't think I'll feel comfortable to drop night pumps for a long time - it's so stressful when supply drops. I have a huge freezer stash but she had an allergy and I had to eliminate my diet so I can't give her most of freezer stash right now anyway as they contain the allergen ugh. But she also doesn't take a bottle which is why stash is so huge - I never use it !

Yes I feel like I want to bf for as long as I can but I always want to give up in theory. It's so much work. Hopefully some company and reading material during night pumps will help! Though I typically only pump 10 min - perhaps I should do longer ! I have a fast flow so I've never pumped for long
 
Welcome beemeck!! :hi:

Whew, 10 minute pumping session! I'd get about .5 oz in that time. :haha: I've always had a slow flow, though it seems to be picking up at least a little bit. I really hope it picks up even more because I wouldn't get half what I do now if I didn't use compression the whole time.

Have you tried many bottles with DD? It doesn't sound like it's an absolute necessity that she takes one, but I'm sure you'd find it night to be able to let someone else feed her occasionally. I'd imagine she would prefer one that has a flow as fast as yours, but I know there's an overwhelming number of options when it comes to nipple type, air vents to prevent colic, etc. I recently discovered the Lansinoh nipples (one came with my manual pump) and I love it! DD isn't very picky, though. She doesn't prefer them to breastfeeding, but she's never refused a certain bottle. But the shape of the Lansinoh nipple seems to me it most resembles the shape of an actual nipple in the mouth of a baby. The slow flow nipple really isn't very slow at all, and sometimes DD is flooded by it. The Munchkin Latch ones she doesn't latch on to very well (ironic, considering the name), but they have a really slow flow like mine, so I like to use those when I can. Of course, I lost one already... :haha:
 
Hi thank you :)

So dd used to take a bottle no problem - in fact she took pretty much any of the bottles we gave her. She stopped around 8 weeks or so. I read this happens sometimes as they get older and know they can get the real deal instead :/ . We try a bunch of different kinds and strategies and have gotten her to take up to an oz from a bottle recently. I'll look into those nipples though because I can't get over how bottle nipples are so long and nothing like real nipples even when they 'claim' to be. I've tried both fast and slow flow too but ultimately slow flow works better since she mostly chews on it and then it spills out everywhere. Liquid gold to waste lol !

I think if you keep with the increasing supply regimen that you will continue to notice results ! I was surprised at how my supply comes back every time with some dedication. You're doing a great job !
 
Oh yes! We are into chewing on our bottles now too! And a couple of times on mom a couple of weeks ago. Luckily that hasn't continued! DS isn't picky either. My supply is down a little for the first time in a while, and DS has been all of a sudden taking in 40oz some days!! That's wayyy more than usual! I haven't had to tap into my stash yet. But might if he keeps it up!

I should also pump twice at night. On the weekend I might do that. I have before, but being back at work now it is really hard to get enough sleep!

Compression is the only thing that worked for me to up my supply.

Out of curiosity, what in your diet was DD having a reaction to?
 
40 oz wow yeah that's a lot to keep up with - good job ! I can't imagine maintaining this all if I was going back to work !

I actually pump once before I go to bed and again at 130. I feed dd from 7-8 then put her down. I pump again at 10 and then I sleep. When my supply dipped, I switched to a power pump from 9-10 instead.

Not sure what the allergen is yet ! Dd had super smelly green bloody mucous poops. I am already vegan so didn't have to give up dairy. I gave up soy and didn't see an improvement. They say give it 3 weeks but should see initial improvement . So then I gave up corn and finally wheat and nuts. Poop has been normal for past week (3 weeks post soy ) so I'll gradually introduce one thing at a time back in. Actually her first GI appt is tomorrow so I'll know a lot more then.
 
If I didn't have that stash, I would not have been able to keep up with 40oz!

The only time I saw blood in DS poop, it was black and it was mine. His did get really smelly and his tummy got upset when I took the fenugreek/blessed thistle too.

Good luck!!
 
Oh yes she also had the black blood in poop from me. It was in her spit up too.

Luckily the fenugreek and blessed thistle doesn't seem to have any effect on her. But it does seem common.
 
Reporting for pumping duty. Might try longer. I think my biggest issue is fear of her waking and being empty and not able to comfort or feed her back to sleep (if only she took a darn botttle!) it actually happened once and turned out fine. She basically comfort nursed to sleep no prob. So here's to a longer pump
 
Good luck!

That was my fear too when DS first started sleeping about 6-8 hours, but my supply dropped waiting for him, so I just had to do it. But it was a lot easier for me because he took a bottle. A friend of mine had issues with hers taking a bottle, so she went to sippy cups. Maybe that will work in a couple of months.

I really need to stop hitting snooze!

Pumping it up!
 
Okay. I've been pumping almost 20 minutes and have only had 1 let down. What the heck is up? I wait d about 5 minutes in or so to do compressions. I usually do them from the start, but I wouldn't think it should make THIS big of a difference! I'm pretty bummed right now.
 
I had the same issue last night, Tiny! Only one let down and about half the output I normally have. The only think I could think of was maybe DD ate better than she normally does and maybe I didn't drink as much water as I normally do yesterday? :shrug:

And holy moly, 40 oz?! That's insane! I wish DD would eat more... She only gained 2.5 oz this week, but she has been sick. I had an appointment with a GI doctor two weeks ago due to the reflux issues she was having and not responding all that well to Zantac. I ended up trying a homeopathic remedy before moving on to stronger meds and they seem to have worked! But they weren't too excited about her slow weight gain the previous several weeks, so they had us start fortifying her bottles during the day (both breastmilk and formula) to bring her weight up. She gained 8 oz the first week, but then this week only 2.5. She's alert and has good fat stores and is perfectly healthy, the GI doctor even said he's not concerned about her nutrition at all, just would prefer to see a 3 month old gain more weight.

Beemeck, that's always one of my fears, too! It's happened to me before so I dread it happening again. But last night DD woke up as I was going back to bed after pumping and she had plenty to eat and get back to sleep. I was so relieved! Granted, this was at 3 am and my alarm goes off at 4:30, so I never got to go back to bed... :haha: Running on 4 hours of sleep here! I can laugh about it now.

I've also noticed sometimes DD just doesn't want a bottle and wants the boob. I wonder if that's why sometimes she only takes 1 oz with the sitter. She just eats what she must to not be starving until she can nurse. More than once I've picked her up from the sitter's and she had taken part of a bottle, then I tried to let her finish it when we got home and she refused, but latched right on when I offered the boob. She even does this with breastmilk in a bottle. I'm secretly glad she prefers me! When she first started taking formula because I just wasn't producing enough and she would get frustrated so quickly at the breast, I was so heartbroken and started to hate the bottles. :haha: Like I was mad at them because they could give her what I couldn't.

I've never seen blood in DD's stool thankfully! How scary that would be. You both said you saw your blood in your babies' poop... I'm just curious, were your nipples bleeding? What caused your blood to be in their poop?
 
For me my nipples were bleeding and that was how there was blood in his stool and spit up.

DS was born in the 3rd percentile and weight gain slowed around 8-10 weeks. I get irritated everytime the doctor says he needs to weigh more. No he doesn't! He is healthy and happy and smart and ahead of his milestones, he sleeps well. He does not need to gain weight just to gain weight! I mean, at a certain point doctors start telling everyone to lose weight! Lol. He is completely fine. "Look at the baby, not the scale" I have read that a lot, and I wish more doctors would too. You know when a baby is hungry!! Not all babies have to be 50th percentile!

Sorry for the rant, I have felt guilty way too much and there has been no reason for it. My baby is a small guy just like his dad was. He is healthy and happy. It bugs me when doctors tell me he is falling short because he is behind numbers generated from other babies.

I pumped for 30 minutes last night, ended up with another let down and got my usual haul. Just took longer. No fun when you want to be sleeping!!
 
You know, I have to say I agree. If they continue to have issues with her weight gain despite her thriving and even being ahead of the game with some milestones, I'm probably going to ignore them. She eats until she tells us she's done and I'm not going to force feed her simply because she doesn't weigh enough by their terms or their charts. She's doing perfectly well, she just isn't chubby. I'd love for her to be a chunky baby, so if she is willing to eat more, I'd be perfectly happy with that. But if she says she's done, she's done. DH and I are both overweight and have been our whole lives. If she knows when she's full, I'm not going to mess with that.

I'm glad you got a second let down and the output you're used to! That is the hard part, isn't it? If only we could pump while sleeping...
 
OMG! I was thinking the same thing last night and almost posted it!

They need to invent a way to pump while we sleep.

The person who invents that will be a billionaire! Lol
 
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